Preseason, Week 4: VIKINGS (3-0) at Bills (3-0)

[swede700]

Game 4

 at 

 

When:  7:00 PM EST August 29th

Where: New Era Stadium (Orchard Park, NY)

TV/Radio: KMSP (TV), KFAN 100.3 (Radio); Replay on NFLN: 4:00 AM EST, August 30th

Announcers: Paul Allen, Pete Bercich, Greg Coleman

Coverage Map:  N/A

Notable Injuries:

Vikings - Questionable: None, Doubtful: None, Out: None

Bills - Questionable: None, Doubtful: None, Out: None 

Please keep all discussion about the game here.

Edited August 26, 2019 by swede700

[JDBrocks]

Is Kyle Sloter a bubble player?

[swede700]

1 minute ago, JDBrocks said:

Is Kyle Sloter a bubble player?

Yes, I still consider him a bubble player.  It'll all depend upon whether they decide to keep 2 or 3 QBs.  He still needs to prove that he's improving pre-snap to guarantee a spot. 

Edited August 26, 2019 by swede700

[JDBrocks]

He's outperformed Manion, and the Vikings have never kept 2 QBs. He's not a bubble player.

[swede700]

5 minutes ago, JDBrocks said:

He's outperformed Manion, and the Vikings have never kept 2 QBs. He's not a bubble player.

He's outperformed Mannion in games, but we still have to account for the fact that he's going up against 3rd stringers.  A guy who has spent as long as he has in the league should be able to dominate against 3rd stringers.  We have yet to see him play against even the backups.  So, you may have that opinion, but until that happens, I believe he's on the bubble.

Edited August 26, 2019 by swede700

[skywindO2]

Chad Beebe should be a bubble player imo 

[swede700]

31 minutes ago, skywindO2 said:

Chad Beebe should be a bubble player imo 

If there is a real guarantee, it's that Beebe is going to be the 3rd WR.  Considering where he's been in the pecking order during the preseason, he's pretty much locked in.  Now that may change a year from now, but not this year.  

[VikeManDan]

59 minutes ago, swede700 said:

A guy who has spent as long as he has in the league should be able to dominate against 3rd stringers.

Isn't that exactly what he's done?

[VikeManDan]

1 minute ago, swede700 said:

If there is a real guarantee, it's that Beebe is going to be the 3rd WR.  Considering where he's been in the pecking order during the preseason, he's pretty much locked in.  Now that may change a year from now, but not this year.  

I'd add in the fact that he's also been practicing PK holding. I'd be downright surprised if Beebe was cut given the lack of a true standout from the bottom end of the WR depth chart.

[swede700]

3 minutes ago, VikeManDan said:

Isn't that exactly what he's done?

Yes, but that doesn't prove anything as far as his ability to be the primary backup.  Our favorite preseason QB, the law firm of McLeod John Baltazar Bethel-Thompson, never was able to become a primary backup QB either, now he's resorted to tearing up the CFL.  

Edited August 26, 2019 by swede700

[SemperFeist]

Sloter has played well this preseason, but I don’t think he’s played so much better than Mannion to unseat Mannion. And that’s just from what we’ve seen on the field. The coaches see these guys every day in the film room, in meetings, and in practice. And they’ve made it pretty clear that there are aspects of his game that Sloter still needs to work on. 

The QB2 position is a lot more than simply playing in place of the starter in case of injury. They help the starter during the game, they look for tendencies of the defense, they look for calls, and adjustments, etc. In some aspects, the QB2 is like another coach. And if Mannion is better at that aspect, then he’s going to be QB2 on game day. 

And while Mannion may finish a game if Cousins were to go down, there’s no guarantee that just because he’s listed as QB2 he’d be the starter the following week if Cousins were to miss multiple games. 

[Robb_K]

Clash of the two unbeaten Titans of The NFL, eh?  Will The Vikings' streak continue?  I predict The Vikings will win 31-17.  Cook and Boone will have a good day.  Cousins will have a better day than last game.  I hope the OL and DL will play better, and Rhodes will look better, and O'Neill will play.

[VikeManDan]

20 minutes ago, Robb_K said:

Clash of the two unbeaten Titans of The NFL, eh?  Will The Vikings' streak continue?  I predict The Vikings will win 31-17.  Cook and Boone will have a good day.  Cousins will have a better day than last game.  I hope the OL and DL will play better, and Rhodes will look better, and O'Neill will play.

I highly doubt any of the players you mentioned, with the exception of Boone, will even play.

Edited August 26, 2019 by VikeManDan

[Cearbhall]

4 hours ago, VikeManDan said:

I highly doubt any of the players you mentioned, with the exception of Boone, will even play.

But to be fair, not playing would make for better day for Cousins than the third preseason game.

[swede700]

1 hour ago, Cearbhall said:

But to be fair, not playing would make for better day for Cousins than the third preseason game.

He'll be very smooth dropping back to pick up that cup of Gatorade.